So Dallas isn’t Chicago (I think we already knew that). But, I’m pretty sure that in, say, Wicker Park or Lincoln Park, you can actually lean out of your kitchen window and not only read, but snag your neighbor’s morning paper–maybe even a little coffee and toast, too.

Dallas may be known best to the rest of the world as the city of big hair, big jewelry, big hats, big cars, big egos, and big family feuds–as seen on the television series of the same name–but at least some of our real-life wealthy elite haven’t followed in the footsteps of The Ewings: patrons of the arts, extensive collectors of fine art and antiques, and noted philanthropists among them.

The city itself is still coming along. We’re just a very young city that has no real natural features (unless you count endless square miles of scorched earth) to use to our benefit, so we’ve had to buy or build everything of interest: lately that’s become a big priority–museums, stadiums, performing arts centers and urban re-development in general. In the “Arts District” we have a very healthy sampling of some of the biggest names in 20th century architecture–buildings by Rem Koolhaas, I.M. Pei, Renzo Piano.

But, what I’m really waiting for is the “lake” in the Trinity River project. Two words for Dallas: Yacht Club.

Frankly — who can blame them for choosing the Windy City? Las Colinas is on its way to becoming a certified mess; other than the Cowboys, plastic surgery, and decorating your home poorly — what exactly is there to do in Dallas? I’ll tell you — not much. And y’all think property is cheap ’round here — there’s probably a reason for it…

They’ll enjoy the Magnificent Mile, Lake MI, 2 baseball teams, and more activities than you can shake a stick at (plus, there’s public transport and you can’t lean out your kitchen window and read your neighbor’s paper in the morning)…